Insurance companies, law firms, and healthcare systems hire independent case management consultants to review complex patient cases, coordinate care plans, and manage utilization.
Independent case management consultants often work remotely, reviewing medical files, coordinating with treatment teams, and providing clinical recommendations to payers and legal teams. The work is intellectually stimulating, remote-friendly, and compensated well above staff case management salaries — ideal for experienced case managers ready to go independent.
Learn the specific requirements, certifications, and skills needed for this income stream in your state and specialty.
Identify any certifications or training programs that will make you more competitive and command higher rates.
Update your resume, LinkedIn, and professional profiles to reflect your interest and qualifications for this opportunity.
Begin with one or two clients or assignments to build confidence, refine your process, and establish your reputation.
Once systems are in place and results proven, expand your client base, raise your rates, and grow your income.
Connect with other nurses doing this work. The RN Network community is full of nurses ready to share real-world experience.
Independent case managers sell their judgment. Clients include workers' compensation carriers, third-party administrators, life care planners, employers and law firms. A typical file involves reviewing records, speaking with the injured or ill person and their providers, identifying gaps in care, and writing a clear plan with goals, costs and timelines.
Most consultants bill hourly plus mileage and build a book of business through two or three steady referral sources. Organized documentation, fast turnaround and plain-language reports are what keep adjusters and attorneys sending files. Field case management requires some travel, while telephonic and file-review work can be fully remote.
Map your experience to a niche, such as catastrophic injury, workers' comp or disability, and choose your target certification.
Form your business entity, secure liability coverage and build a one-page capabilities sheet.
Introduce yourself to five adjusters, TPAs or attorneys and offer a first file at your standard rate.
Exam Edge specializes in online practice tests that get you certified the first time.
View This Product →Happy Mind is a mental wellness platform built for busy people who carry a lot — which describes just about every nurse we know.
View This Product →Resource from The RN Network
Nurses give everything on shift. This home and life organizer is built for the hours when they're finally off the clock — designed around irregular schedules and the mental load that never really clocks out.
Get the OrganizerStart with a plan. Our Nurse Business Plan guides walk you through startup costs, pricing, licensing and landing your first clients, written for nurses building income outside the bedside.
See the Business Plan Guides →